I’m going to keep it real honest, the Kentucky Derby has snuck up on me! Last year, I planned out my whole outfit (and it was pretty killer if you ask me). I went above and beyond (my budget too). I loved it, I still use the photos all the time and I’m so glad I did it BUT this year I’m lagging on my derby style.
Last Year’s Derby Look
Nailed it right?!
Flash forward to this year…To be completely honest, I had a shoot planned, a deadline for this post and still no outfit. So instead of panic, run to the stores and probably get more frustrated because I can’t find anything, I took a different approach. Also, can we take a moment to talk about why it is that when you need something you cannot find it, but when you’re just window shopping, everything you don’t need is completely abundant?! SO funny. Moving on, I decided to rework what I already had in my closet.
Novel thought right? I already have heels and I obviously have the hat so certainly I could make this work. Here’s what I came up with.
Derby Style Option 1
Derby Style
Derby Style
Derby Style
Simple right? Here’s the story, I bought this little cover-up style summer dress a couple of months ago and completely jazzed it up. It looks 100% different for Derby Style than it does for a day at the beach with flip flops. Certainly you have a dress like this in your closet. Just start trying different basics and then you can start to layer in the accessories to make it pop for the occasion.
Derby Style
You know I have the hat. I invest in this last year, you can check out that post here. It was an investment and I do not wear it often, but I’m learning its nice to have those unique pieces that will last a lifetime. I mean who knows if I’ll be invited to a polo match or Royal Wedding and I’ll get to use the hat again.
Derby Style
No shame in my game at all, I wore these exact shoes last year. They’re classic and comfy. I have also had the bag for over a year but it’s the perfect color pop for this spring Derby look.
Shop This Look
I can’t find my white dress but the brand is Faithfull the Brand and they have tons of cute stuff! I also can’t find my exact hat or bag but I’ve linked similar styles. For hats I use this website.
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3112331″]
Moving on to a totally different look I decided to rework a dress that I love and didn’t originally think I could use for this but I love how it came out.
Derby Style Option 2
Derby Style
I am so into this look. Yet again I’ve used shoes I’ve had for 5 years and the same hat from last year and the look came out completely different.
Derby Style
Derby Style
Derby Style
Derby Style
This dress is incredible and guess what?! I found it on the North Shore of Maui when we were there in January. It’s a tiny label but you can shop it here. It buttons all the way down so I added a little edge by leaving the bottom buttons undone. It also helps for movement. The shoes and hat I’ve had for a bit and the bag, oh the bag. It was given to me by my mom for my 32nd birthday and its her’s. She bought it in the 80s. How cool is that?!
Shop This Look
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3112348″]
I couldn’t find the exact dress but you can buy it here. And you can again shop for the perfect Derby hat here. But some of those bags I linked are vintage and are at a great price for Gucci!
I hope this helped provide some inspo for this year’s Derby parties. Speaking of, if you’re in the Dallas area you can come to the TAG Cinco de Derby party and hang with me.
Cinco de Derby
Grab your seersucker or sombrero (or both!) and join the young professionals of Center for BrainHealth – TAG (Think Ahead Group) for the 8th annual Cinco de Derby Party at the Alex Camp House at the Dallas Arboretum on Saturday, May 5. Co-chaired by Kristen Carter and Kendal Kramer, the party will feature all of the Kentucky Derby essentials with a Cinco de Mayo twist. Guests will enjoy an open bar, southern fare and tex-mex favorites, silent auction, DJ, great photo opps and a gorgeous view of White Rock Lake! Proceeds from the event will fund the Center for BrainHealth’s high-performance brain training program and mindfulness training for the Dallas Police Department.
TAG (Think Ahead Group)
A Dallas young professionals group, TAG aims to teach people about the current and future health of their brains while raising funds to support research at the Center for BrainHealth, an organization committed to enhancing research on brain injury, brain disease and healthy brain function. The annual TAG Derby is by far our biggest event of the year, boasting over 500 young (ages 22-35) professionals in the Dallas area.
You can snag your tickets by clicking below and make sure to check out their Facebook and IG (@thinkaheadgroup).
Tickets: http://www.501auctions.com/tagcincodederb
If you’re headed there make sure to come say hi! I can’t wait to see your derby looks. Let’s do this. Plus if Mint Juleps aint your thing, it’s Cinco de Mayo so I guarantee there will be some margaritas too. You can also check out my other Derby post here for more inspo. See you then!